1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an elevator including a cage suspended by a cable and configured to move up and down in an elevator shaft of a building, and in particular relates to a landing apparatus for positioning the cage at a position where the doorsill part of the elevator hall is flush with the doorsill part of the cage.
2. Description of the Background
A conventional landing apparatus 91 for an elevator 81 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is composed of a detector 92 provided on an upper part of a cage 84, and a detecting plate 94 mounted on a guide rail 83 via an arm 93. The detector 92 is composed of a signal generating part 95 and a signal receiving part 96, facing opposite each other with an interval existing therebetween. The signal generating part 95 generates a signal toward the signal receiving part 96.
The detecting plate 94, which is made of a material to block the signal generated by the signal generating part 95, is provided at the position on the guide rail 83 side to be interposed between the signal generating part 95 and the signal receiving part 96 when the doorsill part of the elevator hall and the doorsill part of the cage 84 become flush with each other.
When the detecting plate 94 is interposed between the signal generating part 95 and the signal receiving part 96 so that the signal generated from the signal generating part 95 is not received by the signal receiving part 96, the landing apparatus 91 stops the cage 84 for positioning the same at the position where the doorsill parts can be flush with each other.
Japanese Patent Application Publication (koukoku) No. 64-6110 discloses another conventional landing apparatus 101 composed of a detector 102 provided in a doorsill part 85 of a cage 84 and a detected member 103 provided in a doorsill part 87 of an elevator hall 86. The detector 102 and the detected member 103 are provided such that they face opposite each other when the cage 84 is placed at a position where the doorsill parts 85, 87 are flush with each other.
The detector 102 is composed of a signal generating part for generating a signal and a signal receiving part for receiving the signal. The detected member 103 a reflector which reflects the signal generated from the signal generating part so as to guide the signal to the signal receiving part.
When the detector 102 and the detected member 103 face with each other, the landing apparatus 101 operates a driving device (not illustrated) so as to stop the cage 84 at the position where the doorsill parts 85, 87 are flush with each other. At this time, a signal generated from the signal generating part is reflected by the detected member 103 so as to be received by the signal receiving part.
The landing apparatus 91 of the elevator 81 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 requires a slight adjustment of the position along the vertical direction of the detecting plate 94 upon installing the elevator 81 in the elevator shaft in the building for stopping the cage 84 at the position where the doorsill parts are flush with each other.
Moreover, the positions of the detector 92 and the detecting plate 94 need to be adjusted such that the detecting plate 94 can pass between the signal generating part 95 and the signal receiving part 96 without contacting the detector 92 when the cage 84 moves up and down. These adjustments add labor to the installation, as a result of which the installation cost tends to rise.
Furthermore, since the landing apparatus 101 disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication (koukoku) No. 64-6110 is provided with the detector 102 and the detected member 103 in a small space defined by the doorsill part 85 of the cage 84 and the doorsill part 87 of the elevator hall 86, respectively, a signal generated from the signal generating part of the detector 102 can be reflected by the wall surface of the elevator shaft or an apron attached on the elevator hall 86.
Therefore, due to a malfunction caused by the signal receiving part receiving a signal reflected by the wall surface of the elevator shaft or the apron, sometimes the cage 84 cannot be positioned at the predetermined position.